Stettler District Ambulance Association Collective Agreement 2023 - 2026

Article 2: Definitions

1. “Union” shall mean the Health Sciences Association of Alberta.
2. “Employer” shall mean Stettler District Ambulance Association.
3. “Employee” shall mean a person who performs the job functions pertaining to any classification covered herein.
4. “Regular Employee” is one who works on a full-time or part-time basis on regularly scheduled Shifts of a continuing nature:
   1. “Full-time Employee” is a Regular Employee who works the full specified hours in the Hours of Work Article of this Collective Agreement;
   2. “Part-time Employee” is a Regular Employee who works scheduled Shifts whose hours are less than those specified in the Hours of Work Article of this Collective Agreement.
5. “Temporary Employee" is one who is hired on a temporary basis for a full-time or part-time position:
   1. for a specific job of more than three (3) months and less than eighteen (18) months; or
   2. to replace a Full-time or Part-time Employee who is on an approved leave of absence for a period in excess of three (3) months; or 

   3. to replace a Full-time or Part-time Employee who is on leave due to illness or injury where the Employee on leave has indicated to the Employer that the duration of such leave will be in excess of three (3) months.

   4. Temporary positions may be extended by mutual agreement between the Employer and the Union. Extension requests shall be submitted to the Union in writing thirty (30) days prior to expiry, such agreement shall not be unreasonably withheld. 

6. “Casual Employee” is one who works on a call-in basis or on a call-back basis and who does not work a regular and recurring schedule or an Employee who is hired for a term of less than three (3) months. 

7.  “Regular Casual” means a Casual Employee who works more than 360 hours per year, inclusive of the twelve (12) flex hours and Active Duty hours, but exclusive of any on-call hours when not on Active Duty. 

8. “Basic Rate of Pay” is the step in the salary scale applicable to each Employee as set out in the Salaries Appendix exclusive of all allowances and premium payments. 

9. A “month” for purpose of this Collective Agreement has been defined as the period of time between the date in one (1) month and the preceding date in the following month. 

10. “Day” is defined as commencing at (0000) hours of one day to (23:59) hours the following day. 

11. “ACoP” is defined as the Alberta College of Paramedics.

12. “Seniority” shall be as defined in Article 14 of this Collective Agreement. 

13. “Anniversary Date” shall be the date employment commences with the Employer as a Regular Full-time, Part-time or Temporary Employee. 

14. “Code” means the Labour Relations Code as amended from time to time. 

15. “Shift” means the twelve (12) hour period consisting of Core Hours and Flex Hours, and the twelve (12) hour period consisting of On-Call Duty for a core flex schedule or twelve (12) hours worked in an assembled schedule.

16. “Gross Earnings” shall mean all monies earned by an Employee under the terms of this Collective Agreement. 

17. “Board” shall mean the Stettler District Ambulance Association Board. 

18. “Week” means seven days commencing at 0700 hours on a Sunday and ending at 0659 hours on the following Sunday. 

19. “Emergency” means a situation where:

    1. The Employer does not have sufficient human resources to ensure adequate ambulance coverage for its geographic area of responsibility; or

    2. Any of the municipalities serviced by the Employer, or the Provincial or Federal Government, have declared a state of emergency in the Stettler area. 

20. “Core Hours” means the period of two (2) hours during each core/flex Shift (including weekends and statutory holidays) where an Employee is required to be assembled at the ambulance station. 

21. "On Call Rate" means the rate of pay set out in the On-Call Appendix or Premium On-Call Appendix as applicable.

22. “On Car" means the period of time where an Employee is responding to or returning from a call for services, and no more than one hour for cleanup, restocking, refueling of the vehicle and completing required documentation from the time the Employee returns to the station, unless further time is authorized by the Employer.

23. "Active Duty" shall mean the total time during a shift where an Employee is working:

    1. Core Hours and On Car during the Shift, or other duties assigned by the Employer in its discretion;
    2. On Car during On-Call Duty;
    3. A shift of twelve (12) consecutive hours without Flex Hours or On-Call Hours.
24. “Tour of Duty” is the period of four (4) regularly scheduled consecutive shifts.
25. “Flex Hours” means the hours remaining in the Employee’s Shift based on set Core Hours and calculated by subtracting the Core Hours from the twelve (12) hour Shift. Flex hours are worked after Core Hours have been completed, over the remainder of the Shift. Employees are not required to be assembled at the ambulance station.
26. “On-Call Duty” shall make up the balance of the core-flex shift during which the Employee is on-call and must be reasonably available to respond without undue delay to any request to return to duty. 

27. “Notice in Writing” means delivery:

    1. In person

    2. By electronic mail to the address supplied by the Employee or Employer; or

    3. Posting by the Employer on the Union bulletin board.

28. “Job Steward” means an Employee of the Employer designated by the Union to act as a local representative.

29. “Assembled” shall mean consecutive hours on shift on “Active Duty” with no on-call or core/flex.